Pound Cake With Caramel Icing & Apricot-ginger Sprinkles

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 1 1/2 cups butter or 1 1/2 cups margarine, softened
• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 ounces container sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 dash salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup salted cashews
• 1/3 cup finely chopped dried apricot
• 3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger

Recipe

• 1 pound cake:.
• 2 beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
• 3 gradually add sugars, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy.
• 4 add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition.
• 5 stir together flour, salt, and baking soda.
• 6 add to butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
• 7 beat at low speed just until blended after each addition.
• 8 stir in vanilla.
• 9 pour into 2 greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loaf pans.
• 10 bake at 325°f for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
• 11 cool in pans on a wire rack 10 minutes.
• 12 remove cakes from pans, and let cool 2 hours or until completely cool.
• 13 prepare caramel icing:.
• 14 bring first 4 ingredients to a full rolling boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often.
• 15 boil, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
• 16 remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
• 17 beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 to 4 minutes or until thickened.
• 18 use immediately.
• 19 pour over cake, allowing it to drip down sides of cake.
• 20 apricot-ginger sprinkles:.
• 21 toss all ingredients together, and top pound cake no more than one hour before serving.
• 22 let stand 30 minutes or until icing is firm.
• 23 enjoy!